Lighting Your Dining Space

August 27, 2019

Willie Duggan

Lighting a dining space is critical to creating the right atmosphere for an enjoyable family dinner or a long lunch with friends. Light is the one tool that can immediately create atmosphere and the perfect tone for an evening in. Low level lighting creates an intimacy within a dining space which is hard replicate in other areas, setting up the perfect scenario for relaxing with friends.

Make your Table the Centre-Piece

Your table must become the centre piece of your dining area. By making it the focal point, the source of the space’s atmosphere, the rest of the room sinks into the background. The room becomes unimportant. The table and everything that is going on there, is the place where everyone wants to be. To make your table the hub of the activity think pendants and chandeliers hanging at a relatively low level. About a metre above the table is usually a good guide to run by. Doing this, the dining table becomes the unmistakable gathering point.

Size Matters

The proportions of your table and your dining space will dictate the size of the fixtures you use. Be sure to balance these. A long rectangular or oval dining table can work brilliantly with a linear arrangement of three pendants, placed to give a wash of light over the table’s surface. While a small round dining table will best work with a single pendant or chandelier. Ultimately in comes down to your style, but make sure to measure first, get your proportions right before making the big purchase.

Open Plan

Open plan spaces are currently the way to go for living areas. Combining kitchens, dining and living rooms in one airy large space. This can pose a challenge when you want to create an intimate dining space that leaves everything else behind. The choice of lighting in this situation becomes an added tool to mark off or zone areas. In the case of a dining area pendants dropped to a low level over a table immediately mark this space off as something different to the rest of the room. Even during the day, they will help focus the eye on the table. Separating this eating zone from the rest of the room.

Take Control

In this era of Bluetooth, Casambi and personal controls there’s no reason not to set light at exactly the levels you want. During the day the table can be a hub of activity for working from home, an early dinner with kids and everything in between. But when you need something a little more intimate and atmospheric having the right dimmer controls will give you the opportunity to change the space in the flick of a switch (literally… plus everyone looks great in a low light).

Do It In Style

A dining space is somewhere we gather for special events as well as the day to day. It is a hub of activity and some of the best memories you will create. Christmas dinners, birthday parties and catching up with you closest. It deserves something a bit special. So take a bit of time to find something that suits your style and ticks all the boxes for a memorable occasion.

Layer the Rest

Often a pendant over a table is not quite enough to light the whole room for comfort. So think about how you layer the rest of the light around the space. Whether it’s wall lights, table or floor lamps position them where they won’t intrude on everyone around the table. Watch out for any glare from them that might catch the eye of one of your diners and pull their attention away from the table. And lastly make sure you have control of them, dim them up and down. Play with them at different levels to get your lighting just right.